List of people who have held multiple United States Cabinet-level positions

The Cabinet of the United States, which is the principal advisory body to the President of the United States, has had numerous permanent members serve as heads of multiple different federal executive departments, along with the Vice President or other cabinet-level positions, which can differ under each president. As the years progressed, some departments lost their original status in the president's cabinet, while other offices were established or reorganized as such. Unlike in many parliamentary cabinets, it is generally less common in the United States for officeholders to obtain multiple positions over the years.

Edmund Randolph became the first person to have served in two different presidential cabinet posts when he was appointed Secretary of State by President George Washington in 1794 after previously serving as Attorney General during Washington's first term in office. Patricia Roberts Harris was the first woman and the first person of color to serve multiple posts in a president's cabinet when President Jimmy Carter appointed her Secretary of Health and Human Services in 1979, having earlier served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development through the first half of Carter's administration.

Elliot Richardson held the most different positions within the presidential cabinet with four, having served as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare; Secretary of Defense; and Attorney General, all three under President Richard Nixon, as well as Secretary of Commerce for Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford. That record was equaled by George Shultz, who served successively within the Nixon administration—first as Secretary of Labor, then in a cabinet-rank position as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and finally as Secretary of the Treasury—before being appointed Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan.

List of multiple cabinet-level officeholders The following list includes people who have led two or more different executive departments or other cabinet-level offices, which can vary under each president. The table below is organized by date of second appointment or election to such a position. Officeholders whose terms begin the same day are ranked alphabetically by last name.

NameOfficeStartEndAttorney GeneralSecretary of StateSecretary of WarSecretary of StateSecretary of WarSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of the NavySecretary of StateSecretary of StateSecretary of WarSecretary of WarSecretary of the TreasuryAttorney GeneralSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of the TreasurySecretary of StateAttorney GeneralSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of the NavySecretary of the TreasurySecretary of the NavySecretary of StateSecretary of WarSecretary of StateSecretary of the NavyAttorney GeneralSecretary of the NavySecretary of the TreasurySecretary of the InteriorSecretary of WarSecretary of StateSecretary of WarSecretary of StateAttorney GeneralSecretary of the NavyAttorney GeneralSecretary of State Postmaster GeneralSecretary of WarAttorney GeneralSecretary of WarSecretary of WarAttorney GeneralAttorney GeneralSecretary of StatePostmaster GeneralSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of StatePostmaster GeneralSecretary of the InteriorAttorney GeneralSecretary of StateSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of StateSecretary of the NavyAttorney GeneralSecretary of Commerce and LaborPostmaster GeneralSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of WarSecretary of StateSecretary of the NavyAttorney GeneralSecretary of Commerce and LaborSecretary of the NavyAttorney GeneralSecretary of StatePostmaster GeneralSecretary of the NavySecretary of AgricultureSecretary of the TreasuryPostmaster GeneralSecretary of the InteriorSecretary of WarSecretary of StateSecretary of WarSecretary of AgricultureVice PresidentSecretary of CommerceSecretary of the NavySecretary of DefenseSecretary of WarSecretary of the ArmySecretary of StateSecretary of DefenseSecretary of the NavySecretary of the TreasurySecretary of LaborUnited States Ambassador to the United NationsDirector of the Bureau of the BudgetSecretary of CommerceAttorney GeneralSecretary of StateSecretary of Health, Education, and WelfareCounselor to the PresidentSecretary of LaborDirector of the Management and BudgetSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of StateSecretary of Health, Education, and WelfareSecretary of DefenseAttorney GeneralSecretary of CommerceDirector of the Management and BudgetSecretary of Health, Education, and WelfareSecretary of DefenseCounselor to the PresidentWhite House Chief of StaffSecretary of DefenseSecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentDirector of the Management and BudgetSecretary of CommerceUnited States Trade RepresentativeSecretary of the InteriorSecretary of CommerceCounselor to the PresidentCounselor to the PresidentUnited States Ambassador to the United NationsSecretary of DefenseSecretary of EnergySecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentSecretary of Health and Human Services United States Ambassador to the United NationsVice PresidentSecretary of EnergySecretary of the InteriorCounselor to the PresidentAttorney GeneralUnited States Trade RepresentativeSecretary of LaborSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of StateWhite House Chief of StaffSecretary of TransportationSecretary of LaborSecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentUnited States Trade RepresentativeUnited States Trade RepresentativeSecretary of AgricultureCounselor to the PresidentWhite House Chief of StaffSecretary of DefenseVice PresidentDirector of the Management and BudgetWhite House Chief of StaffSecretary of DefenseUnited States Trade RepresentativeSecretary of CommerceAdministrator of the Small Business AdministrationWhite House Chief of StaffUnited States Ambassador to the United NationsSecretary of StateSecretary of TransportationSecretary of EnergyUnited States Ambassador to the United NationsSecretary of EnergySecretary of TransportationWhite House Chief of StaffSecretary of CommerceSecretary of TransportationAdministrator of the Environmental Protection AgencySecretary of Health and Human ServicesDirector of the Management and BudgetWhite House Chief of StaffUnited States Trade RepresentativeDirector of the Management and BudgetSecretary of CommerceWhite House Chief of StaffDirector of the Management and BudgetWhite House Chief of StaffSecretary of the TreasuryDirector of the Management and BudgetSecretary of Health and Human ServicesSecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentDirector of the Management and BudgetSecretary of LaborSecretary of TransportationSecretary of Homeland SecurityWhite House Chief of StaffDirector of the Central Intelligence AgencySecretary of StateChair of the Council of Economic AdvisersSecretary of the TreasuryWhite House Chief of StaffSecretary of Veterans AffairsDirector of National IntelligenceDirector of the Central Intelligence AgencyIncumbentAdministrator of the Small Business AdministrationSecretary of EducationIncumbent

Former permanent cabinet members The Secretary of War (1789–1947) became defunct when the Department of War was split between the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force by the National Security Act of 1947, and both were absorbed into the Department of Defense in 1949. The Postmaster General (1829–1971) ceased to be a member of the cabinet when the Post Office Department was re-organized into the United States Postal Service (USPS) by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, a special agency independent of the executive branch. The Secretaries of the Army (1947–1949), Navy (1798–1949), and Air Force (1947–1949) ceased to be members of the cabinet when their particular departments was absorbed into the Department of Defense in 1949.

Cabinet-level positions The following positions have intermittently been raised to cabinet rank: Vice President (1921–1923, 1929–present) Ambassador to the United Nations (1953–1989, 1993–2001, 2009–2018, 2021–2025) Director of the Office of Management and Budget (1953–1961, 1969–present) White House Chief of Staff (1953–1961, 1974–1977, 1993–present) Counselor to the President (1969–1977, 1981–1985, 1992–1993) White House Counsel (1974–1977) United States Trade Representative (1975–present) Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (1977–1981, 1993–2001, 2009–2017, 2021–2025) National Security Advisor (1977–1981) Director of Central Intelligence (1981–1989, 1995–2001) Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (1993–present) Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (1993–2009) Administrator of the Small Business Administration (1994–2001, 2012–present) Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (1996–2001) Director of National Intelligence (2017–present) Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2017–2021, 2023–present) Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (2021–2025)

See also Cabinet reshuffle List of people who have served in all three branches of the United States federal government

Notes

References

External links The Cabinet - Provided by the White House. Retrieved March 23, 2022.